Chapter 85: Guests

Chapter 85: Guests

As a polite gentleman, Klein naturally would not stare at Alan’s wife. He looked at the renowned surgeon instead and said, “Good evening, Alan. How should I address this lady?”

Alan’s cool temperament had not changed much, but that did not keep him from politely smiling as he handed over a beautifully wrapped bottle of red wine.

“My wife, Wilma Gladys. She is a secondary school teacher.”

“You look like you are going to be a father again. When is the due date?” Klein accepted the gift and asked smoothly.

The topic he had originally prepared for Dr. Alan had been several new surgical techniques recently reported in the newspapers. He had not expected the other man to bring his wife, already many months pregnant, to the ball.

To Klein, this was simply an unexpected delight, because the unborn fetus in Madam Wilma Gladys’s belly was the Snake of Mercury, Will Auceptin.

Alan subconsciously glanced at his wife’s belly and smiled faintly.

“Early July. If you do not mind, I hope to invite you to his birth celebration then.”

No sooner had he spoken than the gentle, beautiful black-haired lady, Wilma, suddenly pressed a hand to her belly and cried out softly in pain.

“What is wrong?” Alan blurted out.

“He kicked me. He has quieted down now,” Wilma said as her expression eased.

She then looked toward Dawn Dantes and drew a smile.

“Because of the pregnancy, I have not attended a ball like this in too long. Staying at home all the time has made me feel rather gloomy, which is why I asked Alan to bring me along. Although I cannot dance, I can chat with the young ladies and madams, and perhaps find time for a few hands of cards.”

“Your presence is my honor,” Klein replied with complete sincerity. “In early July, I will attend his birth celebration.”

He was not distracted by the small accident just now and still remembered Dr. Alan’s invitation.

After a few more polite exchanges, Klein handed the gift in his hand to his personal valet Richardson, then had him lead the two—no, three—guests into the hall.

Before long, the second pair of guests arrived: Bishop Elektra, still dressed in his black clerical robes, and his female companion.

She was a young woman with a little baby fat still left on her face, perhaps only just over twenty. She seemed to find everything novel and was filled with energy, yet because she had already given birth, she also possessed a hint of maturity.

“Good evening, Bishop. I have been sleeping wonderfully lately,” Klein said, pretending not to know of the Evernight Church’s quiet efforts.

Bishop Elektra immediately drew four points clockwise over his chest.

“This is the Goddess’s blessing.”

He then introduced the female companion beside him.

“My wife, Shona Johnson.”

Because he often met Dawn Dantes, and because he had visited the other man’s residence many times, attending this ball required no additional gift from him. That would have made things appear too polite and distant.

“Hello. You are much younger than I imagined,” Klein said to Shona with a half-complimenting, half-joking nod.

At the same time, he silently calculated inwardly:

I heard the bishop married two years ago. In other words, his wife was only eighteen or nineteen at the time… That age gap is a little large… In a few more years, perhaps I should introduce that plump Apothecary to him…

Hearing Dawn Dantes’s joke and remembering the conversation when the other man had been ill, Bishop Elektra suddenly became a little uncomfortable. He coughed softly and answered in his wife’s place.

“She is someone who enjoys lively occasions. If she has time, she does not wish to miss any ball.”

Klein said no more, because he saw Madam Mary alight from a carriage and walk toward the entrance hall.

After allowing Bishop Elektra and his wife into the hall, Klein smiled at Mary.

“Madam, perhaps we will be working together next week.”

The solicitors and accounting team he had hired had already completed their investigation. They concluded that Coim Company had no major problems and was very suitable for investment. They had also reached a preliminary agreement with the gentleman selling the shares: 12,800 pounds for three percent of the shares, pending final confirmation next week.

Hearing this, Mary smiled lightly.

“I already regard you as my companion.”

That seems like a tactful sentence with a deeper meaning… She cannot have taken a liking to Dawn Dantes, can she?

Klein’s heart stirred slightly. Pretending not to understand, he instead extended his hand.

“To a pleasant cooperation.”

After lightly shaking hands, he had his butler Walter lead the lady inside.

By then, more and more guests were arriving. As Klein recalled the appropriate topics, he welcomed them warmly and humorously, receiving quite a few gifts.

If not for a Faceless’s professional instinct for remembering people’s appearances and traits, I would almost be unable to tell who is who, let alone bring up the right topic… No wonder butlers are so necessary on occasions like this…

Amid his silent sighs, Klein saw Councilman Macht’s family enter.

He once again revealed a smile, took a step forward, and said, “Good evening. The starry sky is especially beautiful today.”

Councilman Macht smiled and handed him a bottle of Highland liquor from some unknown estate.

“I have been in Backlund for nearly twenty years, and the number of days I saw the stars before this year added together may not equal what I have seen this year.”

“I hope there will be more and more.” Klein then turned toward Madam Liana. “I heard you are looking for a boarding school for Miss Hazel?”

Liana glanced at her daughter, who stood beside her with a cold expression, maintaining only a polite smile.

“School education is becoming more and more popular, even for ladies. Most importantly, perhaps Hazel will meet more friends there. Unfortunately, she does not seem too willing. She cannot bear to leave us.”

In Backlund, boarding schools for girls of high society had already begun to rise. The education they provided might not necessarily surpass private tutors, but they created a social circle.

At such a boarding school, tuition alone cost around 500 pounds a year.

What she may be unable to part with is the sewers here…

Klein lampooned inwardly. After a brief chat, he allowed Councilman Macht’s family into the hall.

When the time was nearly right, he no longer remained in the entrance hall. Instead, he walked to the second floor and stood behind the railing facing the main entrance, signaling the hired band to pause their performance.

Holding a glass of champagne, Klein swept his gaze around. When all the guests had looked over, he began speaking in a clear voice.

“I am very glad that all of you could attend this ball. First, I thank the Goddess. Second, I thank all of you…

“I have prepared some music and food with Desi characteristics for everyone. I hope you will enjoy them…”

After the simple speech, Klein descended the stairs to the dance floor on the first-floor hall, preparing to invite a lady for the opening dance.

Normally speaking, during the opening dance, a married host would certainly dance with his spouse. An unmarried gentleman or lady would either dance with an opposite-sex relative or invite someone they admired; it was a kind of alternative matchmaking. Dawn Dantes, however, had no relatives here and, for the time being, no suitable target either. This made the matter somewhat awkward.

Fortunately, he had an experienced butler. Walter had already invited a high-society courtesan in advance. Dancing the opening dance with her might at most create some rumors, but it would not make people imagine they were courting.

Therefore, without any psychological burden, Klein looked toward the lady named Aurolie and walked toward her step by step.

This lady was a widow with rather good relationships with several members of Backlund’s upper circles. She had done fairly well in this social sphere. Of course, she was very much disliked by the women. Any lady with even a little status looked down on her.

Regardless, Aurolie had considerable feminine charm and personal bearing—especially her figure. She was full where she should be full, curved where she should be curved, and extremely alluring. If not for her appearance being only above average, more the type that became pleasing after a second look, Klein would have suspected she was a Demoness.

“Madam, may I have the honor of inviting you to dance?” Following the guidance of his etiquette instructor Wahana, Klein displayed his bearing without the slightest flaw.

Aurolie, her blond hair pinned up, smiled sweetly and extended her hand.

“You are a gentleman who makes it impossible to refuse.”

…That sounds a little suggestive… Her identity and the role she plays in social occasions decide that she cannot be as reserved as most young ladies and madams…

Klein took her hand and entered the dance floor. Amid music with rustic country flavor, they began dancing gracefully.

The nobles owned land, manors, and castles in the countryside, and they spent several months a year living there. Therefore, in high society’s social venues, country music was one of the mainstream styles.

“You dance very well. If Wahana had not mentioned it, I would not have believed you did not know how to dance before.” Aurolie deliberately let the two of them press very close. As their steps shifted, even their breaths could be felt.

Because she was a stranger, Klein felt somewhat uncomfortable with contact at such a distance. But he could not, under everyone’s gaze, simply push the lady away. He could only smile and say, “I merely did not know this type of dance.

“In truth, I am quite good at those more casual dances from Desi Bay and the Southern Continent.”

“I like those dances very much as well. They have strength, are filled with passion, and are danced for oneself, not for others.” Aurolie found a topic, twisting her body and making herself seem extremely intimate with Dawn Dantes.

Near the end of the opening dance, she suddenly lowered her voice and laughed softly.

“If not for some rumors I have heard, I might even have thought you did not like women. You feel somewhat stiff.

“However, I do not doubt that matter now.”

As she spoke, she glanced downward.

Klein was actually extremely embarrassed inside. The other party was truly very skilled at using body language and words to create an ambiguous atmosphere. But Dawn Dantes was an experienced man and absolutely could not show weakness on the surface.

He smiled naturally.

“The stiffness comes from not yet being used to Backlund’s social scene.”

“I can teach you,” Aurolie said with a soft laugh.

Just then, the music ended. She stepped back and smiled with a wink.

“You truly are very passionate.”

The sentence carried a double meaning, making Klein nearly blush in embarrassment and genuinely start to suspect that she might have some connection to Demonesses.

Outwardly unperturbed, he bowed and escorted Aurolie back to her original place. From the corner of his eye, he saw Madam Wilma Gladys, who carried the Snake of Mercury, walking toward the long table at the side. Her target seemed to be the first batch of ice cream.